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PhD Political Science - Formal & Quantitative
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Date: November 8th, 2006 6:14 PM Author: Pink stain plaza International Student GRE: 550V, 800Q, 5.0AW College: relatively unknown LAC GPA: ~3.7 Major: Econ-Math. Specialization: Formal Modelling, Quantitative Methodology. Math classes: Calculus Sequence (A-), Introductory Probability & Statistics (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Real Analysis (A), Numerical Analysis (A expected), Optimization (Winter 2006), Independent Study - Mathematical Statistics (Winter 2006). Relevant econ classes: Econometrics (A), Game Theory (A-), Independent Study - Graduate Game Theory (Fudenberg & Tirole, A expected). Poli Sci classes: Intro American Politics (A-), Intro Intl Relations (A-), Independent Study - Adv Readings in Game Theory (A) Research: RA to an econ professor for 1 term and 1 summer, Honors project: Empirical Voting Study. Recommendations: 1 poli sci professor (with whom Adv Readings in Game Theory and Intro American Politics), 1 econ professor (research supervisor), econ dept chair. All should be good. Others: Self studied Linear Algebra (MIT OpenCourseware), Working knowledge of C/C++, Mathematica, MINITABS, Eviews. SOP: My personal statement indicates clearly that I am interested exclusively in quantitative research.
Please evaluate my chances at: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Columbia. Thank you. |
Date: November 9th, 2006 2:54 AM Author: Bossy floppy whorehouse you'll have a fair shot, but if you're that quantoid, you should add Rochester and Caltech's "social science" program to the list. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=522457&forum_id=3#6955043) |
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Date: November 9th, 2006 3:20 AM Author: Pink stain plaza Thanks for your reply. Actually I did apply to Rochester and Caltech. I just didn't mention because I was more interested in knowing my chance of admission at the other schools.
I wondered if my low verbal and AW scores and the fact that I'm from a lowly unheard-of liberal arts college would kill my chance at schools like Harvard and Yale. They don't seem to have admitted many applicants like me. |
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Date: November 10th, 2006 2:42 AM Author: Bossy floppy whorehouse Honestly, I'm not sure why you'd want Yale as a quant-head -- they don't seem to have much quant there, at least compared to the others on your list. As for the rest: the low verbal and AW scores are a problem, sure. But the math background may well make up for it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=522457&forum_id=3#6962019) |
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Date: November 10th, 2006 3:40 AM Author: Pink stain plaza Yeah, I'm not sure why I applied to Yale either...
I originally intended to apply to econ programs, so I didn't prepare for the verbal and writing parts at all. In fact I kinda dozed off a little being while doing the verbal part (it was a long test).
How about the auto-rejection policy though? I know for econ programs, since they have too many applicants, they eliminate a whole bunch based on a quantitative GRE cutoff. Do poli sci people do the same thing?
How highly do you think poli sci departments value the math background? How come I don't see a lot of PhD students with BA in math?
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Date: November 10th, 2006 12:35 PM Author: Bossy floppy whorehouse My admittedly impressionistic sense is that there isn't really an auto-rejection policy in poli sci. I know some people who got into top programs with one big hole in their background (made up for by other elements).
Similarly, impressionistic sense: the math background is valued at the quant departments. UG math and econ majors are, at least of the phd students I know, not far behind poli sci majors in the top quantish programs. I think you don't see a lot of phd students with a BA in math because of problems on the supply side, not the demand side.
(You might want to add Michigan to your list too, they're a very quant department.) |
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Date: November 13th, 2006 7:47 PM Author: Pink stain plaza Could the "perestroika" movement be the reason why we don't see many math students? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=522457&forum_id=3#6986119) |
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Date: November 13th, 2006 8:46 PM Author: Bossy floppy whorehouse Hah, no. It's more like math students have a huge variety of other possible options for grad school, careers, etc., up to and including: econ, comp. sci, hardcore business, mathematical physics, math itself, statistics, etc. etc. Most of those things are more lucrative than poli sci. Your average math major would have to be really dedicated to choose poli sci grad school over some kind of quant i-banking shop where they'd make so much money they shit krugerrands, or, if they're academically inclined, over econ. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=522457&forum_id=3#6986581) |
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Date: November 13th, 2006 11:02 PM Author: Pink stain plaza Ok, that's very assuring. Thanks a lot for your comments. I really appreciate it.
A guy on Princeton Review said this: "Princeton, Yale and MIT are not particularly friendly to quants/formal stuff in polisci. There will be coalitions within all these schools strongly opposed to your focus (look up the 'perestroika' movement in the polisci discipline) and they will use your low verbal score as evidence."
What do you think? What about the perestroika situation at the other schools: Harvard, Stanford, Columbia?
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Date: November 14th, 2006 7:49 PM Author: Bossy floppy whorehouse I wouldn't worry about perestroika anywhere other than Yale and Chicago, and maybe not even Yale. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=522457&forum_id=3#6992306) |
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Date: November 9th, 2006 9:08 AM Author: Charismatic harsh piazza im taking calculus (for fun) and i plan to apply for ir masters perhaps polisci phd program in the future. any advice on how to play this up?
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Date: November 13th, 2006 8:14 PM Author: Stirring yapping ladyboy Weren't you thinking about grad school in education? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=522457&forum_id=3#6986309) |